A Colorful Walk: Wisteria Tunnel at Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan

Kawachi Fuji Gardens in Kitakyushu, Japan ( 5 hours from Tokyo, if you take the Nozomi high speed train) is where you will find this pastel-colored fairytale tunnel.

The gardens are home to about 150 Wisteria flowering plants spanning 20 different species (white, blue, purple, violet-blue and pink). This is the reason why the Wisteria tunnel is so colorful and graceful.

Best time to visit is from late April to mid May (depends on the weather each year). The peak is normally at the end of April to the Golden Week, between April 21 and May 6. Not every year wisteria blooms so magnificently. To get to the garden from the JR Yahata train station, take Nishitetsu bus #56 and get off at Kawachi Elementary School. Then walk 10-15 min to the garden.

It is difficult to imagine Kawachi Fuji Garden any other way but in full bloom, yet according to Atlas Obscura, visiting the place outside the mentioned time period will lead you to a “disheartening mass of lifeless, twisted branches”.

Important: During the blooming season (April and May), entry is only allowed by obtaining a pre-paid ticket in advance, and then paying additional 500 JPY or 1000 JPY at the door depending on the daily changing price (due to flower blooming condition). You can book your tickets here.

If you had the chance to walk along this flower-covered pathway, feel free to drop a line and tell us how it felt!

31 Comments

tote

October 3, 2013 at 11:16 am

Thank you for the comment, Vivienne! It’s obvious that a 830 km distance cannot be made by car in 4 hours. I think that we read about that time in accordance with the estimation of Japan Rail System, and wrongly thought that the same distance can be made by car. So, thanks again for your vigilant traveler’s spirit. We take it as precious help.

becky

October 26, 2013 at 5:03 pm

Hi there, Im living in Kitakyushu at the moment but i would love to show my friend this place in february/early march when she visits. Do you think the flowers will be in bloom? Or will it still be too early?

tote

Phuan

January 22, 2014 at 6:03 am

I was there last year on 6 May 2013 as we were told that the Wisteria is in full bloom. We stayed at Shin-Osaka as it is the interchange stn to most major cities.
We took train from Shin-Osaka to Kokura Stn 0807 / 1025 (138min), then change train to Yahata Stn 1033 / 1045 (12min).
From here, there is a bus that takes you to the end stn, but you still have to walk quite a distance like 45min & the driver suggested that we should take a taxi. So, take a taxi from Yahata Stn (15min ride for 2500 yen) to the Kawachi Fuji Garden as the walk is still quite far from where the two buses drop-off. Arr 1245 / Dep 1330. Entrance Fee to the Garden is 1000 yen but it’s well worth it !
As the garden is quite small – allow 45 min to 1 hour for photo-taking & ask Information desk to call for taxi back to Yahata Stn.

Tudor

Ono

March 10, 2014 at 3:33 pm

Hello there, I would like to take my mother to Wysteria garden this year and we will be coming from Mongolia. Do you know anyone that I could contact from the garden who speaks english? I want to contact them and ask if the flowers are in bloom before I plan my trip to JApan.
Thanks,

Tudor

April 10, 2014 at 10:46 am

Hi, Achie! Depends on the weather in that period, but the wisteria is in bloom usually between end of April and middle of May. I think you will be lucky! Regarding your departure from Tokyo, you must take a high speed train to Kitakyushu (5 hours away). I think that an information center from the station will clear things up. Hope you will enjoy your trip and maybe give us a feedback about your experiences.

[…] Kawachi Fuji GardensFor a real Japanese garden experience you’ll want to travel outside of Tokyo city limits to the Kawachi Fuji Gardens. It’s a five-hour trip by rail (12 hours by car!) but it’s well worth the time it takes to get there. […]

Anonymous

June 22, 2016 at 9:27 am

Hi i am visiting japan and will reach tokyo on 28th june only. Does it make sense to visit the kawachi garden, i am really keen to see. but reading a lot here and there but couldnt find any information on what to expect in July week 1. Please help!

[…] Exiting the shrine we went up a road which also appears in the movie, or so I was told, leading to an area filled with flower fields. During spring time there’s a calendar for the times in which specific flowers bloom, the most famous are the Sakura, but there are others, such as Wisteria. […]